Courses
PHYS 121 Astrophysics
Celestial motions, stellar structure, cosmology, and related problems including appropriate concepts of elementary physics. Not among the recommended options for science or math majors. Includes laboratory.
General Education Requirement: (FSNP)
Unit(s): 1
General Education Requirement: (FSNP)
Unit(s): 1
PHYS 125 Elements of Physics
Principles and applications of physics. Topics selected from mechanics, sound, light, electricity, magnetism, heat, and modern physics. Not among the recommended options for science or math majors. Includes laboratory.
General Education Requirement: (FSNP)
Unit(s): 1
General Education Requirement: (FSNP)
Unit(s): 1
PHYS 127 General Physics 1
First semester of a sequence in general physics. Mechanics, heat, sound, magnetism, electricity, light, and modern physics are covered in the two-semester sequence. Includes laboratory. NOTE: Physics 127 is not a prerequisite to 128. A student may not receive credit for both Physics 131 and 127.
Prerequisite(s): Algebra and trigonometry.
General Education Requirement: (FSNP)
Unit(s): 1
Prerequisite(s): Algebra and trigonometry.
General Education Requirement: (FSNP)
Unit(s): 1
PHYS 128 General Physics 2
Second semester of a sequence in general physics. Mechanics, heat, sound, magnetism, electricity, light and modern physics are covered in the two-semester sequence. Includes laboratory. NOTE: A student may receive credit for only one of the following courses: 128, 132, 133, 134.
Prerequisite(s): Algebra and trigonometry.
General Education Requirement: (FSNP)
Unit(s): 1
Prerequisite(s): Algebra and trigonometry.
General Education Requirement: (FSNP)
Unit(s): 1
PHYS 131 General Physics with Calculus 1
First semester of a calculus-based introductory sequence. Mechanics, heat, sound, magnetism, electricity and light are covered in the two-semester sequence. Includes laboratory. NOTE: A student may not receive credit for both Physics 127 and 131.
Prerequisite(s): Math 211 or 231 (may be taken concurrently).
General Education Requirement: (FSNP)
Unit(s): 1
Prerequisite(s): Math 211 or 231 (may be taken concurrently).
General Education Requirement: (FSNP)
Unit(s): 1
PHYS 132 General Physics with Calculus 2
Second semester of a calculus-based introductory sequence. Mechanics, heat, sound, magnetism, electricity, and light are covered in the two-semester sequence. Includes laboratory. NOTE: A student may receive credit for only one of the following courses: 128, 132, 133, 134.
Prerequisite(s): Math 212 or 232 (may be taken concurrently) and Physics 131 or permission of instructor.
General Education Requirement: (FSNP)
Unit(s): 1
Prerequisite(s): Math 212 or 232 (may be taken concurrently) and Physics 131 or permission of instructor.
General Education Requirement: (FSNP)
Unit(s): 1
PHYS 133 Atomic and Sub-Atomic Physics
Second semester of a calculus-based introductory sequence with emphasis on physics of atoms, molecules, nuclei and quarks. Mechanics, heat, sound, magnetism, electricity, and light are covered in the two-semester sequence. Includes laboratory. NOTE: A student may receive credit for only one of the following courses: 128, 132, 133, 134.
Prerequisite(s): Math 212 or 232 (may be taken concurrently) and Physics 131 or permission of instructor.
Unit(s): 1
Prerequisite(s): Math 212 or 232 (may be taken concurrently) and Physics 131 or permission of instructor.
Unit(s): 1
PHYS 134 Biological Physics
Second semester sequence of a two-semester calculus-based course that includes laboratory, aimed at students interested in the biological sciences, premedicine, earth and environmental sciences. Mechanics, heat, sound, magnetism, electricity, and light are covered in the two-semester sequence. NOTE: A student may receive credit for only one of the following courses: 128, 132, 133, 134.
Prerequisite(s): Math 212 or 232 (may be taken concurrently) and Physics 131 or permission of instructor.
Unit(s): 1
Prerequisite(s): Math 212 or 232 (may be taken concurrently) and Physics 131 or permission of instructor.
Unit(s): 1
PHYS 205 Introduction to Modern Physics
Introduction to topics in 20th-century physics including special relativity, quantum mechanics, and statistical physics.
Prerequisite(s): Physics 132 or permission of department.
Unit(s): 1
Prerequisite(s): Physics 132 or permission of department.
Unit(s): 1
PHYS 215 Computational Methods in Physics
Project-oriented: applying computers to solution of problems in physical sciences.
Prerequisite(s): Physics 132 and some familiarity with at least one higher-level computer language.
Unit(s): 1
Prerequisite(s): Physics 132 and some familiarity with at least one higher-level computer language.
Unit(s): 1
PHYS 216-217 Electronics
Laboratory course in basic electronics and instrumentation for science majors. Study of dc and ac circuits, diodes, rectifiers, transistors, operational amplifiers, binary logic, Boolean algebra, digital circuits, analog-digital conversion, transducers, and computer interfacing.
Prerequisite(s): Physics 127-128 or 132. Physics 216 is a prerequisite to Physics 217.
Unit(s): 1-1
Prerequisite(s): Physics 127-128 or 132. Physics 216 is a prerequisite to Physics 217.
Unit(s): 1-1
PHYS 221 Intermediate Laboratory
Experiments in classical and modern physics emphasizing independent work. Six laboratory hours a week.
Prerequisite(s): Physics 127-128 or 132.
Unit(s): 1
Prerequisite(s): Physics 127-128 or 132.
Unit(s): 1
PHYS 301 Mathematical Methods in Physics
Selected mathematical topics needed for upper-level work in physics. Topics taken from vector calculus, matrices, calculus of variations, orthogonal functions and complex analysis.
Prerequisite(s): Physics 132 or permission of department.
Unit(s): 1
Prerequisite(s): Physics 132 or permission of department.
Unit(s): 1
PHYS 303 Mechanics
Mathematical analysis of physical laws pertaining to dynamics of particles and rigid bodies. Introduction to moving coordinate systems and Lagrange's and Hamilton's methods.
Prerequisite(s): Physics 301 or permission of department.
Unit(s): 1
Prerequisite(s): Physics 301 or permission of department.
Unit(s): 1
PHYS 305-306 Electricity and Magnetism
Electrostatic fields and potentials, dielectrics, magnetic fields, and potentials. Maxwell's equations, electromagnetic waves.
Prerequisite(s): Physics 301 or permission of department. Physics 305 is prerequisite to 306.
Unit(s): 1-1
Prerequisite(s): Physics 301 or permission of department. Physics 305 is prerequisite to 306.
Unit(s): 1-1
PHYS 308 Statistical Mechanics
Statistical methods applied to description of physical systems. Statistical calculation of thermodynamic quantities, laws of thermodynamics, statistical distributions, and classical and quantum statistics of ideal gases. (Same as Chemistry 308.)
Prerequisite(s): Physics 301 or permission of department.
Unit(s): 1
Prerequisite(s): Physics 301 or permission of department.
Unit(s): 1
PHYS 309-310 Quantum Mechanics I and II
Wave mechanics and quantization; Schroedinger equation for variety of potentials; hydrogen atom in detail; perturbation methods. (Same as Chemistry 401-402.)
Prerequisite(s): Chemistry 310 or Physics 301 or permission of department. Physics 309 is prerequisite to 310.
Unit(s): 1-1
Prerequisite(s): Chemistry 310 or Physics 301 or permission of department. Physics 309 is prerequisite to 310.
Unit(s): 1-1
PHYS 381-382 Research
Six hours per week of laboratory or independent study. PHYS 381 may be taken a maximum of three times. PHYS 382 may not be repeated for credit.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of department.
Unit(s): 0 (381)-.5 (382)
Prerequisite(s): Permission of department.
Unit(s): 0 (381)-.5 (382)
PHYS 397-398 Junior Seminar
Required of all third-year physics majors. Does not count in units required for minor.
Unit(s): 0 (397)-.5(398)
Unit(s): 0 (397)-.5(398)
PHYS 404 Theoretical Physics
Application of mathematics to selected topics in physics.
Prerequisite(s): Physics 301 or permission of department.
Unit(s): 1
Prerequisite(s): Physics 301 or permission of department.
Unit(s): 1
PHYS 479 Special Topics
Topics include particle and nuclear physics, solid state, modern optics, relativity, field theory.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of department.
Unit(s): 1
Prerequisite(s): Permission of department.
Unit(s): 1
PHYS 497-498 Senior Seminar
Required of all senior physics majors. Does not count in units required for minor.
Unit(s): 0 (497)-.5 (498)
Unit(s): 0 (497)-.5 (498)